Trini Talk トリニダードトバゴ弁！

I’ve prepared a glossary of Trini words and phrases with help from family and friends. It’ll be updated as I think of more words…

B
bamsee – arse/rear end
bumper/bumpa – arse/rear end
bussup shot – a kind of Indian bread that is ‘busted up’ into small bit-sized pieces and eaten with curried meats
bacchanal – fun/exciting

C
cyan – can’t/cannot
Crown Point – International airport in Tobago
chupid – stupid
cheups – the sound made when sucking in air through your teeth in annoyance or disgust

D
de – the
deh – there
dey – they
dem – them
dung – down
dat – that
dotish – stupid person

E
ent – isn’t it/ain’t

F
fete – big party
fraid – afraid
fuh – for

G
gyal/gyurl – girl/woman
Good Night/Evening – greeting said in the evening at the beginning of the conversation

H
he – him

I
Is yuh fadda a glassmaker? – I can’t see through you so move out of the way!

J
juk/juke – the forward/backward motion of the hips when dancing
J’Ouvert/joovay – the early morning on Carnival Monday

K
ketch-ass – to play an annoying ‘game’ of catch up with a person/company; a stink-looking person

L
like so – like that
lime – to sit around wasting time; usually done by men on a street corner

M
meh – me
mash up – to beat up someone

N
noong noonks – a woman’s private parts

O
P
patois/patwa – dialect/non-standard English
Piarco – International airport in Trinidad

Q
R
rel – very/quite/pretty
roti – Indian flat bread usually eaten with curried meat

S
sagating/sagagal/sagaboy – a person who cares very much about being fashionable
she – her

T
ting – thing
tusty – thirsty
totee – a man’s private parts
tief – thief
Trickidadian – derogatory name given to Trinidadians by other Caribbean islanders
Trinbago – Trinidad & Tobago
Trini – a Trinidadian

U
V
vex – angry/mad

W
wine – to wind one’s waist in a circular motion when dancing to soca, calypso or reggae

X
Y
yuh – you
yuh understand? – are you listening to me?

Z